What kind of lens will replace my cataract lens?

When the eye surgeon removes your cataract lens, you will need something to replace it so that you can focus and see clearly. You have three choices to replace your own lens:

Intraocular lenses ►Intraocular lenses ▼

Intraocular lenses (IOLs) replace your cataract, or cloudy lens. If you have certain eye diseases or problems which prevent safe placement of an IOL, you will need either contact lenses or cataract glasses in order to see clearly after surgery. Read More.

Contact lenses ►Contact lenses ▼

If you are unable to have an IOL implant, you may opt to wear contact lenses after cataract surgery.

By wearing a contact lens on your operated eye, you will be able to see about as well as you did before the cataract developed. These lenses cannot cure all your vision problems. You may still need glasses for close-up work.

There are two types of contact lenses: daily-wear and extended-wear. You must remove daily-wear contact lenses before you go to sleep. You can wear extended-wear contact lenses for longer periods of time. Extended-wear contact lenses are usually prescribed for people who would have trouble inserting and removing daily wear contacts (for example, people with severe arthritis).

If you need to wear contact lenses after surgery, your doctor will show you how to insert and remove them, as well as clean and care for them. Learning to use contacts takes some effort. Not everyone can wear them. Contact lenses are safe and easy to use, but they can cause problems. If you have excessive redness, watering, light sensitivity or pain, you should call your eye doctor right away

Cataract glasses ►Cataract glasses ▼

Cataract glasses may be an option if you cannot have an IOL
implant or if you cannot wear contact lenses. Cataract glasses
are also safe and relatively inexpensive, but they may take
some getting used to after surgery.
The lenses in cataract glasses are
different from regular eyeglasses,
so you will see things in a different
way. Objects will look larger (by
about 25%) and may seem to
appear suddenly in your side vision
(peripheral field of vision). Vertical
lines may appear curved, and it
may be hard to judge distances.

If you have cataracts in both eyes but only have surgery in
one eye, your eyes won’t be able to work together when you
wear cataract glasses after surgery. The glasses lens for your
operated eye makes things appear larger while your other eye
will view images as they truly are. Your brain won’t be able
to put the two images together for normal (binocular) vision.
You will have this condition, called monocular aphakia (one
eye without a lens), until after your second cataract operation.